I Am Able

People with disabilities are one of the most marginalised sections of societies in the Commonwealth and face some of the most challenging circumstances. UNICEF in 2013 estimated that the number of children with disabilities between the ages of 0 to 18 years ranges between 93 million and 150 million. This rough estimate showcases the insufficiency of data on youth with disabilities especially in the developing world.

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Listen to the IAMABLE official campaign song: Neville Peter – I Am Able

What is the CYC doing?

We have chosen to prioritise youth with disabilities during our two-year mandate in an attempt to contribute towards the SDGs to ensure more inclusive societies. However, we must start from the bottom as a gap has existed for decades as there has not been one organisation that has worked primarily with people with disabilities. The CYC, therefore, is launching an 18 months campaign for youth with disabilities. In this instance, CYC is embracing a broad use of the term disability to include physical, mental disabilities and learning difficulties.

One-stop information hub for the Commonwealth

To create an information hub for the Commonwealth, the CYC will be advocating for the data collection with regards to young people with disabilities focused on inclusion in schools, the workplace, and their political participation. We will be using the Youth Development Index (YDI) as a tool that provides for evidence-based policymaking.Check out the Commonwealth Leading Links

Educational toolkits and resources

There is significant ignorance that continues to exist in the Commonwealth about people with disabilities. Here are some resources to dispell these myths:

Youth with Autism by Jonathan Andrews, endorsed by the Head of Parliaments All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism and former cabinet minister. This toolkit will be sponsored by Minds UK. Click here to view the interview with Jonathan Andrew & click here to download the toolkit.

In collaboration with the Commonwealth Youth Gender Equality Network (CYGEN):

LGBTI youth with disabilities

Girls and young women with disabilities

In collaboration with the Working Group of Commonwealth Youth Sports for Development and Peace (CYSDP) and Mixed Sports Ability:

Youth with disabilities in sports

Within these booklets will be an opportunity to share the stories of inspirational young people across the Commonwealth.The CYC has partnered with UNICEF Voices of Youth to call for the inspirational stories of young people with disabilities: click here.The stories will be featured in the booklets and on the UNICEF’s Voices of Youth website on the International Day for Persons with Disabilities on the 3rd December 2017.

Build capacity of youth with disabilities

In-country

Through a partnership with EduCoders (an online platform to host virtual classrooms), the CYC will be able to have an online classroom which is accessible to disabled and non-disabled peers to access information through speakers, lessons and presentations on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD), and other skills.

An interactive leadership training will be conducted to empower young people with disabilities to influence policy and decision-making processes. The training will be carried out through a 4 days face to face workshop and 6 months online training which includes mentorship and follow-up on participant action.

Are you interested to be a trainer at our next capacity building in Antigua and Barbuda? Apply here.

Would you like to join our next capacity building session? Register your interest here.

In-country Engagements

The following countries have shown an interest in localising the “I am ABLE” campaign:

Kenya – Launch of the “I am ABLE” campaign took place in Mombasa, Kenya. The needs of youth in Kenya has been documented here.

The Pacific Islands – Pacific Disability Forum which was attended by David Rupa, Special Interest Group representative.

The CYC is the officially recognized voice of the 1.2 Billion young people of the Commonwealth. It is the largest and most diverse youth-led organization in the world. The council works for and represents the voice of all young people within the 52 Commonwealth nations.